Fokas Rafail, Giormezis Nikolaos, Vantarakis Apostolos
Department of Public Health, Medical School, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece.
Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece.
Foods. 2025 Apr 25;14(9):1508. doi: 10.3390/foods14091508.
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance among foodborne pathogens has intensified the search for alternative biocontrol strategies. Among these, essential oils (EOs) and bacteriophages have gained increasing attention, due to their natural origin and antimicrobial potential. This narrative review investigates their individual and combined use as innovative tools for improving food safety. We discuss the mechanisms of action, current food applications, and regulatory or technical limitations associated with both EOs and phages. Particular emphasis is placed on their complementary characteristics, which may enhance efficacy when used together. An in-depth analysis of five key studies investigating synergistic EO-phage combinations against , , and is presented. These studies, conducted in both in vitro and food-based systems, reveal that antimicrobial synergy is often dose- and temperature-dependent. Optimized combinations lead to enhanced bacterial reduction and reduced resistance development. However, several challenges remain, including sensory alterations in food products, phage inactivation by EO compounds, and host cell destruction at high EO doses. The review concludes that while EOs and phages face limitations when applied independently, their strategic combination shows substantial promise. Future research should focus on formulation development, delivery systems, and regulatory alignment to unlock their full synergistic potential.
食源性病原体中抗菌药物耐药性的出现加剧了对替代生物防治策略的探索。其中，精油和噬菌体因其天然来源和抗菌潜力而受到越来越多的关注。这篇叙述性综述研究了它们作为改善食品安全的创新工具的单独使用和联合使用情况。我们讨论了精油和噬菌体的作用机制、当前在食品中的应用以及与之相关的监管或技术限制。特别强调了它们的互补特性，这些特性在联合使用时可能会提高疗效。本文对五项研究进行了深入分析，这些研究调查了精油与噬菌体针对[此处原文缺失具体细菌名称]的协同组合。这些在体外和基于食品的系统中进行的研究表明，抗菌协同作用通常取决于剂量和温度。优化的组合可增强细菌减少效果并降低耐药性的产生。然而，仍存在一些挑战，包括食品产品的感官变化、精油化合物对噬菌体的灭活作用以及高剂量精油对宿主细胞的破坏。综述得出结论，虽然精油和噬菌体单独应用时存在局限性，但它们的策略性组合显示出巨大的潜力。未来的研究应专注于配方开发、递送系统和监管协调，以充分发挥它们的协同潜力。
